A Crimson Thank You
by Ming-Xia
Summary: A Short Final Fantasy 7 story about Vincent


bA Crimson Thank You/bbrVincent's blood ran cold with anguish through his veins as his emotions spilled from his mind into a cataclysmic tangle of thoughts and feelings. Sat on the top of the Shinra mansion in Nibelheim; stationary like one of the beautifully crafted gargoyles set into the walls of the dilapidated house, he looked down below him. The fire raged beneath him and the waves of blistering heat driving up from the flames failed to move a single cell of Vincent's body as he watched his wife's child, yet not his own bring hell upon a town. Wielding the mighty Masamune sword, Sephiroth, in all his glory was chaos itself obliterating everything in sight. Vincent could not do anything, he was cursed with the memory of letting his one true love, Lucrecia, perish under the hands of a power-mad scientist who bared her with a child that was destined to be his, yet was not. He had become a puppet along with the rest of the 'Specimens' from the hands of the same scientist that killed his wife—and his soul along with her.brbr   
He couldn't harm Sephiroth—the only link to Lucrecia he had left. He couldn't harm Lucrecia's child, his child.brbr  
As the flames licked at the wooden structures below where Vincent waited, the gradually receding as their fuel diminished and they were forced to die. Vincent slowly lifted his masculine body with the gaze of Sephiroth placed upon him and slowly walked along the rooftop with the pain he felt in his heart embracing him like a blanket of thorns.brbr  
No more shall he laugh, nor smilebrbr  
  
The only thing he could do was...sleepbrbr  
Reclined in an old coffin in the Nibelheim Mansion's Basement, which was originally destined for him for over seven years, time stood still in Vincent's heart even though it wouldn't beat to recall the feeling. The light of the world was once again shone upon his unworthy face. Someone had lifted the lid on the coffin and lifted the lid on Vincent's eternal slumber. As the stagnant air dispersed from the wooden casket, Vincent took is first breath in almost a decade and stood up to address this person who had disturbed him. Three people peered over the coffin; a young woman clad in a white blouse and a short skirt, a well-built, middle-aged man holding a fierce spear and a cigarette neatly resting on his plush, bottom lip and a Soldier. An ex-SOLDIER with the Mako eyes and yellow hair protruding from almost every direction that he had seen beforein the great fire of Nibelheim, minutes before his eternal slumber fell upon him.brbr   
The travellers came bearing tales of Sephiroth, Shinra and Jenova. Their names being Tifa, Cid and Cloud. Vincent looked into their eyes and saw a sense of genuine concern for his son so he said the few words that changed his life, "...If I join you...will I see Hojo?"brbr  
That day was the beginning of the rest of his life as he travelled far and wide in search of the purpose of why he was still here in the state that he was. Why did Hojo do this to him? Why didn't he just let him die? The thoughts swirled around his sub-conscious mind until one day he saw Sephiroth face to face. The only times he had seen his son were over someone's death. First Lucrecia, then the people of Nibelheim and now a travelling companion, a distant relation to his Wife. Aeris was gone—yet another link to his past severed. Anger rivalled Vincent's other blank emotions and won as his determination to reach his goal was more clear now than ever before. He wanted to see Hojo. He wanted to see him now. brbr  
Cloud and the rest of the group were all confused with what they were to do about the foreboding situation that they had cleverly wormed their way into as Vincent shyly stayed in the shadows, wrapped with his own thoughts and goals, helping only when called up. Hoping that someday, the help he gave would get him closer to the meaning of his existence. The group of people he was with found what they were looking for and got a submarine along with it while Vincent's thirst for revenge was still brewing inside his body, focusing his thoughts on one goal and one goal only. With this submarine the group ventured under the vast oceans until they came across a sheltered lagoon with a cave behind a waterfall. Vincent was called up to help with any beasts along the way. Not arguing with being called up to help, they carried on into the cave only to see a marvel of nature. Vincent opened his eyes in awe for the first time after his long slumber and reached out his hand. Slowly stepping forward his mind blanked as the words rolled from his lips and occupied the air surrounding him. "...Lucrecia..." He walked forward again and his long lost love told him to stay away. As she looked into his eyes the gaze between them was one of true love. The stare was broken as she asked him a single question to put her soul to rest, "Is Sephiroth still alive?" Vincent's heart fell to his stomach as he ordered Cloud to leave it all to him as he said, "No...Sephiroth is dead..." A tear came to his eye and the azure liquid ran down his cheek as Lucrecia disappeared from sight. Her soul was finally at peace. No matter how much of a lie Vincent told, she was still at peace. brbr  
The journey proceeded as they returned to Midgar. Vincent was at last going to see Hojo for the fist time in twenty years; he could honestly say that he was nervous. The underground walkways of Midgar were a maze but finally they prevailed and made their way to the end of the labyrinth that they had occupied for at least three hours. At the base of the stairs leading to Hojo and his warped mind along with him, Vincent approached cloud and placed his hand on his shoulder. He stared hard into his eyes and said, "Can I got with you? There is something I need to do to place my lost soul to rest." Being the cold man that he was, Vincent's eyes were still as harsh as always but there was a stammer in his voice. Cloud looked back into Vincent's eyes and nodded his head. He could tell that this was more than just something he had to find out. Cloud lead the way up the various flights of stairs until they finally reached the top. Vincent pushed his way forward and abruptly glared at Hojo face to face. Hojo opened his mouth to say a few sly words, "Ah, I see that the cells I gave you have worked wonders! There isn't a limit to what Jenova will do. You have the rest of eternity to think about your woes. What do you say about never being able to rest again?" Vincent's eyes filled with hatred as he reached for his gun. The Death Penalty. He had found it in the cave along with his Wife. The eight Materia slots were empty as he pointed it directly at Hojo.br  
"I have only one thing to say to you" His glare pierced harder into Hojo's mind and filled it with fear. "I want to say...Thank you." Hojo relaxed and looked at Vincent as if he was a madman and muttered, "What are you on about...?"br  
"Thank you for allowing me to live long enough to see your death" With a flick of his muscular finger, the trigger was pulled and a bullet careered across and hit Hojo square in the eyes. The bullet teared through his head as the gun's name was fulfilled. Vincent had finally laid his lost soul to rest. iThank you./i Vincent stepped through the crimson blood of his enemy and walked away... 


End file.
